From the desk of Thone Dari Maung, Assistant Director
May 21, 2026

Free Burma Society filed a FOIA request with US-CIS, asking
for documents given to asylum officers, about Burma. US-CIS ignored the request, so Free Burma filed a Complaint in federal court. US-CIS then released 219 pages.

Some highlights and excerpts:
-at times, the Burmese government does things only to attract foreign investment
-in 2007, there was indeed surveillance at the Embassy at 2300 S Street NW in Washington DC:

“The Burmese military…has a very extensive intelligence network that
keeps track of dissent among Burmese living abroad as well as within
Burma.”

A member of the Military Intelligence Service [MIS] “was assigned to the Burmese embassy in Washington DC to spy on Burmese citizens and democracy activists.” His “primary assignment:” to “monitor the activities of Burmese exiles.”

-family members of opponents and dissidents are harmed
-Chinese are excluded from many advanced degree programs
-there are “junta-controlled” militias
-the Civil Disobedience Movement [CDM] was started by doctors and nurses
-there were many “night-time” raids and internet blackouts

COMMENTS OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
These documents show that asylum officers may carefully review political activity and past events in Burma during asylum cases. They also remind applicants to explain their story clearly and provide strong supporting evidence.